Temple of Luxor
The southern part of Thebes grew up around a beautiful temple dedicated to Amon, king of the gods, his consort Mut , and their son Khons. Commissioned by King AmenhotepIII (Amenophis III; reigned 1390–53 BCE) of the late 18th dynsty , the temple was built close to the Nile River and parallel with the bank and is known today as the Temple of Luxor. An avenue of sphinxes connected it to the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak . The modern name Luxor (Arabic: Al-Uqṣur) means “The Palaces” or perhaps “The Forts,” from the Roman castra.
A small pavilion is all that is left of previous building on the site, though there probably was a temple there earlier in the 18th dynasty if not before. Amenhotep III’s temple was completed by Tutankhamen (reigned 1333–23) and Horemheb II(1319–1292).Ramses RamsesII(1279–13) added another court, a pylon, and obelisks ; smaller additions were made to the temple in Ptolemaic times. Its hypostyle hall was at one time converted into a Christian church, and the remains of another Coptic church can be seen to the west of it.
Statues in the entrance of the Temple of Luxor
The road of the Sphinx from Luxor in Egypt
